One-rank, one-pension row: Ex-servicemen plan rally on June 14

NEW DELHI: Anger is rapidly mounting among ex-servicemen against the Modi government's continuing delay in implementing the much-promised one-rank, one-pension (OROP) for the 25 lakh-strong community around the country.
A decorated IAF veteran of the 1971 war boycotted a local felicitation function in Pune on Thursday, where defence minister Manohar Parrikar and Maharastra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis were the chief guests.But other veterans invited for the function did turn up, even as some ex-servicemen have even begun to dub the government's policies towards addressing their grievances as NATO (no action, talk only). With calls to boycott all government functions finding resonance, "a maha rally" is also being planned on June 14 in New Delhi by the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM).
"A soldier retires at 37, while a civilian government employee at 60. So, the jawan has all the responsibilities ahead of him after retiring, whereas a civilian can fulfill all of them," said Wing Commander Suresh Damodar Karnik (80), the Vir Chakra awardee who refused to attend the function organized by Shiv Shahir Babasaheb Purandare in Pune.
"OROP is critical. There are so many assurances but nothing is changing on the ground… We are being shortchanged. Our respected political leaders seem to pursue a NATO policy towards the armed forces," added the veteran, who flew several bombing missions in his Canberra during the 1971 war.
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Over the last several years, groups of ex-servicemen have been holding rallies and returning their medals to protest against the non-implementation of OROP, which has been promised by virtually all political parties during election campaigns.
The Modi government, too, has repeatedly promised OROP over the last one year but deadlines have come and gone without it being actually implemented. A government official said on Thursday, "It's just a matter of time. The legal and implementation nitty-gritties are being sorted out between the defence and finance ministries since it involves an annual outgo of around Rs 8,300 crore, with arrears since April 2014."
Navy chief Admiral RK Dhowan also said "patience was needed" on OROP implementation since the government was "fully seized of the matter", and had made "a lot of progress" on what was "not a simple issue".
OROP basically implies payment of a uniform pension to personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement. It was earlier contended that granting full OROP would not be financially or administratively possible, especially since it could lead to a cascading effect with similar demands being made by others like paramilitary personnel.
But the Modi government says it has defined "military pension" as a category separate from other kinds of pensions to justify the implementation of the OROP since soldiers, sailors and airmen retire at a much younger age than other government employees as well as undergo prolonged hardship tenures.